The Story of a Crusader
by tabris17
Summary: Pietro had to face many trials before and during Operation Mi'ihen, and this is only the beginning of his journey. *Complete*
1. It begins...

The Story of a Crusader  
  
By tabris17  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters portrayed in the following story, they are the property of  
  
Squaresoft. Pietro is an original character with an original story (I hope so at least), I  
  
just used a nameless character and used him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Chapter One: It Begins…  
  
Life was always hard in Spira. The people never knew if and when Sin was going to come back to devastate the land and take more lives. They lived for the ideal days known as the Calm. Along as your village was safe and living in peace, everything was going to be fine. Yet the unknown always seems to happen when we least expect it. One of the people who thought this was named Pietro, this is his story…  
  
Many people lived in the town of Kilika, most of them made a living by fishing the local waters and selling the bounty that they caught to the traders that came to port. The traders would pay for the goods in various ways, they would use gil, fabric, and many other useful products. The people were happy and overjoyed. They would go the temple and thank Yevon for his divine grace.  
  
Pietro and his family were like all the other residents in Kilika, they were glad that Yevon protected them and the village. Pietro lived along the edge of the village over the sea, so that he could one of the first to go and fish. Every once in a while, he would leave and visit the neighboring village of Besaid and trade there for their well-known fabrics. On one of his trips back to Kilika, he had the pleasure to meet a young summoner called Yuna and her guardians. He thought that they were wonderful people and hated to think what would become of them.  
  
Most of the time he would look at the group through his binoculars and observe them. On the last day of the journey back, a gigantic fin came out of the water in front of the vessel. Immediately two men jumped to the bow of the boat to ready the harpoons. Pietro watched as the party tried to reason with the men about the actions, yet they were soon to relent. As the two men fired the harpoons at the fin, he shuddered to think what the outcome would be. As one of the spears struck the appendage and stuck, the fin reacted by launching sinscales onto the deck. The guardians and summoner were quick to take action and attacked the enemies. The fight was long and hard, but they were victorious in the end.  
  
As the passengers were starting to celebrate, the unexpected began to happen. The monster started to rampage and charge at the village of Kilika. Every person looked in horror as the water rose and fell in violent and deadly ways, the wind picked up and ransacked the village. Homes and trees were taken up into the sky and destroyed. The people were shocked at the unknown amount of life that was bound to have been lost.  
  
As the ship pulled into port, they saw the aftermath of the attack. The majority of the town was gone or lying in ruin. The trees were bent over and snapped by the sheer force of the wind. A few homes were impaled by planks of woods from the pier. The bodies of their loved ones were floating in the water. The survivors were in an almost catatonic state. They had lived through the attack, no one would be able to understand what they had gone through.  
  
Pietro was wondering what had happened to his family. "Had they been lucky enough to survive the maelstrom or had they died?" he thought. He kept a tiny ray of hope in his heart as he ventured toward where his house had once stood. He was greeted by the sight of chaos. Where his house used to be lay the twelve post that were used to support it above the water. He knelt down and wept.  
  
An acquaintance of his had followed him to the site, and patted his sholder. "I'm sorry, Pietro. Your house was one of the first to be hit by Sin. I hate to have to tell you that your wife and daughter were on their way to my house when it happened. I'm sorry, they didn't make it. Your son on the other hand, he was at the shop running an errand for his mother. He's at the inn resting at the moment."  
  
"My son, he made it…?" Pietro asked.  
  
"Yes, but barely. The shopkeeper grabbed him and ran for safety," his friend replied.  
  
"Thank you, I owe you my gratitude," Pietro said as he turned to travel to inn to see his only remaining family member. As he walked, he saw the utter destruction and regretted what would come next. He knew that the village elder would ask the summoner Yuna to perform the sending. He had seen a sending once before, at the funeral of his father two years ago. It had brought a sense of peace to the whole situation, he hoped that it would happen again this time. Everybody needed a little peace at that moment.  
  
As he entered the inn, he saw the bandaged faces of the survivors. Some were standing on crutches and leaning against the wall. He saw his son lying in the top of a bunk bed. He slowly walked over and checked on his son. He was fine with no visible sign of injury, yet this day would live forever in the mind of the young boy. Pietro hoped that he could live with the memory, even though he was only seven years old.  
  
"How are you, son? Are you okay? I thought I had lost you, I don't know what I would have done without you," Pietro said quickly.  
  
"Dad, I'm glad to see you, too. I'm sad that mom and Sandra are dead, I'll miss them, but as long as you're here I'll be fine," his son replied.  
  
"So you know about your mother and sister," Pietro gasped, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you guys. I loved all you and I'll never forget the memory of your mother. Never."  
  
"I know. Why don't we go see the sending?" his son asked.  
  
"Okay, let's go. Maybe that will help us."  
  
As the duo waldked to the dock, they saw the numerous caskets immersed in the water and mourned the loss of all those lives. None of those people would be coming back, and that saddened them. As the sending took place, they were entranced by the intricate and elaborate way that Yuna moved over the water. They were awed by the way that the torch light changed from red to blue. They watched as the pyreflies made their journey to the farplane and a small amount of peace began to sink into their hearts.  
  
After the performance was over though, that peace began to lose its grasp in the father and son. It all but disappeared when reality sank in. They were alone and without a home. They went to the inn to sleep and ponder what they wanted to do. The next morning as they awoke, they discussed plans to travel the land and possibly joined the group known as the Crusaders. On the way from Besaid, Pietro had met two Crusaders called Luzzu and Gatta and talked with the two men. Peitro told his son this and it intrigued him to no end.  
  
His son became excited and said, "Can we please go and see the Crusaders and join their group?"  
  
"Yes, but I want to make something clear to you, son. We might be in pain right now, but we will most likely see things that will pale in comparison to the atrocity that happened here. So, are you sure this what you want to do?" Pietro asked.  
  
"Yes. Nothing can compare to the thought of mother and sister dying. Nothing."  
  
"Okay, we'll find them and tell them we'd like to join their ranks," the father said.  
  
As the duo were exiting the inn, they ran into Luzzu and Gatta by chance. The father told the two Crusaders that he and his son wanted to become like them. Luzzu looked over at Gatta. He asked, "You do know what you are saying?"  
  
"Yes. We want to become Crusaders and fight Sin. We have nothing left here to live for, we want to pay Sin back ten fold for that." As Pietro said this, the two Crusaders nodded to each other. "Come with us, then. You are now members, you will now be outfitted for battle. We are going to need as many members for an upcoming operation we have planned. We'll tell you at our base."  
  
The four men left towards the Crusaders headquarters to receive their equipment and discuss the upcoming mission at Mi'ihen.  
  
To be continued… maybe.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Author's note: I might actually continue this in time, it all depends on if you, the readers, like it. So please  
  
read and review. Until such time, goodbye. 


	2. Preparations

The Story of a Crusader  
  
By tabris17  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the following characters or the setting in this story. They are the property of  
  
Squaresoft. Pietro is the name I have given one of the people seen in the background of the  
  
game.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Chapter Two: Preparations  
  
As Pietro and his son walked the two crusaders, the men and small boy discussed the terrible scene that had played out at the village of Kilika. "That was just horrible. Why did Sin have to come and wreck our beautiful home? Why? We never did anything to it, why couldn't Yevon protect us?" asked Pietro.  
  
"You can blame Yevon if you want, but the truth of the matter is you should only trust yourself to protect your family. Yevon may be omnipotent and all, but you are always going to be there to fight. That is what we Crusaders believe," replied Luzzu.  
  
"So what you're saying is, if we want to defeat Sin, we have to do it ourselves," Pietro said. "We can only trust ourselves and not some mythical being who may not exist."  
  
"Yes, that is exactly right. Having faith in something is good and all, but what does it get you in the end? Nothing but an empty feeling inside your soul and in your case, the loss of loved ones," the Crusader said matter of factly.  
  
"I don't know about you two, but Sin must be defeated at any cost. There has already been too many lives lost to that monstrosity. That is why the Crusaders have come up with a way to destroy Sin. We are going to team up with…"  
  
"Be quiet, Gatta. You have said too much at the moment. We shall inform them of the operation at headquarters," Luzzu disciplined.  
  
"Yes, sir." Gatta said.  
  
"Are we at your base yet, commander?" asked the little boy.  
  
"My you certainly are polite and well-mannered, you should take lessons from this child Gatta. May I ask your name?" Luzzu inquired.  
  
"My name is Ryu, sir," replied the boy. "My parents taught me to respect my elders and to speak kindly to all people."  
  
"That is very good and I admired them for that. You raised yourself a fine son, Pietro. Ah, we are here at last," Luzzu said.  
  
At the base, the two Crusaders took Pietro and Ryu to there armorer. Pietro was hand a pair of red and white pants, a blue shirt, red boots, and a metal faceplate to wear. The armorer then looked at Ryu and frowned. Anything that he gave the boy would probably be too large for him. After a few minutes of scrounging around, he found a pair blue shorts, a white shirt, and a red hat. The boots that he gave the child were much too big, they came up past his knees and about half way up his upper legs.  
  
"That should do it for the two of you. I'm a little concerned about the boots on the boy though. They might cause him to trip and fall if he had to run," the armorer said to the four.  
  
"Thank you, and do not concern yourself. Hopefully, the young boy will not have to run," Luzzu told the armorer. And with that they left to go to the weapon room.  
  
As they entered, the two new recruits stared in awe at the wide selection of weapon that were gathered for use by the Crusaders. There were swords of every kind, lances and spears, bows, and staves of all sorts. As the men walked farther in, the boy was drawn to the collection of swords. "Ah, I see you are attracted to those. Go ahead, pick one up and see if you can carry it," Gatta said.  
  
At this invitation, the boy pick up a short sword and lifted it over his head. "Man, it's so light. I think I should be able to handle this."  
  
"I think I'll take a sword as well. Ah, this should do perfectly." As Pietro said this, he picked up a long sword that had a slight curve at the tip of the blade.  
  
"Very well, now that you have your weapons and armor, we should go and eat lunch." Luzzu guided them to a small tent in the center of the camp and entered. Inside they went and helped themselves to some roasted meat and sat down at a table.  
  
"Earlier you said something about an operation," Pietro said in between bites of meat. "What operation are you talking about?"  
  
"You get right to the point. Gatta was talking about Operation Mi'ihen. It is going to be a joint operation with the Al Bhed and Chocobo knights. The Crusaders are going to lure Sin towards the beach below the Mushroom Rock Road. We are going lure Sin to us with the help of Sinspawn that we have captured. We believe that Sin will be attracted to them and attempt to retrieve them." Luzzu took another bite and continued, "We will engage the monster with the help of the knights, while the Al Bhed take aim with their machina weaponry. If all goes as planned, Sin will be destroyed with minimal loss of life."  
  
"That is well thought out, but how do you know that it will work? Something might go awry," asked the father.  
  
"It will work, and if it doesn't, we won't be around to worry," replied Gatta.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're confident. When does it start?" asked Ryu.  
  
"In four days time. We ask that you and your father travel there ahead of time and practice. You will also take medical supplies and rations with you. A cart will be prepared for you tomorrow morning, until then please get some sleep," replied Luzzu. "There are some beds two tents down. Good night."  
  
"Very well, if we don't see you, good luck," Pietro said.  
  
Pietro and Ryu walked towards the tent with beds and slept comfortably until the next morning. Yet during the night, Pietro had a bad feeling. He thought, "This isn't going to go as expected. Something bad is going to happen."  
  
The next day, the father and son started their journey to the base of operation Mi'ihen.  
  
To be continued…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: Hopefully the next part will be more exciting. As always review please, I loved to hear what you have to say about the stories I write. ( 


	3. The path less taken

The Story of a Crusader  
  
By tabris17  
  
Disclaimer: I do not or ever will own the characters or setting from Final Fantasy X, they belong to  
  
Squaresoft. Pietro and Ryu are just name I have given to two characters with no back story. Now they have one.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Chapter Three: "The path less taken"  
  
As Ryu and Pietro boarded the wagon loaded with supplies, they saw that we were not going to be traveling alone. Nor was their wagon going to be the only one. There were an additional four carts that were loaded with weapons and what look to be the framework of a tent. "What's going on here? Are we all going to be traveling together?" asked Pietro.  
  
"What do you think? Yeah, of course we are. You thought you were the only one?" one the other men replied. "We're the fifth convoy to leave this place. And this base isn't the only taking part in the mission. Sin is a huge monster, most of the Crusaders are going to help in this operation. We pretty much need every person we can get."  
  
Pietro finally realized that the size of the mission. If all the Crusaders were going to take part in the operation and something went wrong, a lot of people were going to be dead. That thought was enough to make Pietro question his sanity for actually agreeing to join. The bad feeling he had last night while sleeping was suddenly beginning to get worse.  
  
"You ready there, newbie. It's time to move out."  
  
"Okay, sure, whatever you say," Pietro replied. They began their trek to the base of Operation Mi'ihen. The road was smooth with hardly a bump or rut in it. The wagon train was making decent time. During the journey, they were joined many other wagons and men. Some of the wagons looked to be cages on wheels, and inside them were what looked to be various fiends from around Spira. Pietro wanted to question the sanity of transporting monsters. What if one of them broke loose, would the Crusaders be able to stop it? Pietro was able to answer that himself. If they all had weapons and knew how to fight , sure there would no problem in stopping a monster. Then he looked at his son and the worry came back. There were many children amongst the ranks of the Crusaders. Were they expected to fight Sin as well. The thoughts kept bouncing inside his head until he was forced back into reality when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked down at his son. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
"The others are stopping right now. I think we're going to rest for the night," replied his son.  
  
"Okay." And he slowly stopped the wagon. He quickly dismounted and asked what was going on.  
  
"We're going to stop and wait for the Al Bhed to arrive. So sit back and relax, we might be here a while," answered the man at the head of the convoy. Pietro left the man behind and walked back to where his son was.  
  
"You were right. We're going to be here a while, so why don't you get some sleep," Pietro told his son. As his son nestled down to fall asleep, Pietro leaned against the side of the cart and breathed slowly.  
  
Thirty minutes later, the man from the head of the convoy came back and said, "Might as well set up camp. I received a message from the Al Bhed, they're going to meet us at the site. Get some shut eye."  
  
"So the Al Bhed weren't coming, if we can't trust them to come as planned, how are we going to trust them with our lives? I don't trust them or their machina." As these thoughts were beginning to form inside Pietro's head, he fell asleep.  
  
As he awoke, he found his son looking down at him smiling. "Get up, it's time to leave dad." Pietro stretched a little to work out stiff joints and began to climb back into the wagon. The other carts began to move and leave the campsite behind. He whipped the animals pulling his wagon and started to leave as well.  
  
As they traveled, they saw a petite woman at a travel agency. She was looking to rent a Chocobo. She noticed the long group of wagons and approached. "May I question you as to where you are going."  
  
"We are going to defeat Sin. We have no time to talk to you or your god," replied the driver of the first cart.  
  
"Please, you must hear me out. Yevon's teaching say that violence is not the answer to Sin. Sin is our punishment for our vanity. He can never be defeated until we repent for our past transgressions," the priestess said. The lead wagon just kept moving along. "Why will you not listen to me, I speak the truth. I speak the word of Yevon."  
  
"We don't listen to your Yevon, because he wasn't there for us when we needed him the most," a Crusader said to the woman. "My father was taken away from me by Sin, I want revenge," another said. "I'm the only one left of my family, what else do I have to live for," came another reply. The priestess kept receiving answers that all sounded all the same. Each member of the group had lost someone dear to them, why should they have to listen to a person who had not felt their pain.  
  
As Pietro and Ryu were passing by, Pietro asked "May I ask your name, priestess?"  
  
"My name is Shelinda."  
  
"Thank you. I am Pietro and this is my son, Ryu. We are just like the rest. We lost our family in the attack on Kilika and feel much pain. Yet, unlike the rest, we appreciate your concern. Again, I thank you and wish you a safe jouney."  
  
"Thank you. Good luck to you on your path, wherever it may lead you," Shelinda said sorrowfully.  
  
The wagons were almost at their destination when they left the priestess behind. They would be at the base within the hour and have two days to rest and train for the upcoming battle.  
  
To be continued…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Author's note: Okay, I'm the first to admit it. That was boring, but we go to see a little bit about why Shelinda was so worried about the Crusaders. The title sort of fits if you're Shelinda. She's the minority in the chapter, since she wasn't one of the Crusaders. And did I get the title right? I think its from a Robert Frost poem, I don't know. Almost at the end of this story, maybe another few chapters. Please review, thanks. ( 


	4. Last days of peace

The Story of a Crusader  
  
By tabris17  
  
Disclaimer: The characters portrayed in the following do not belong to me. They are the property of Squaresoft. I just named the characters, the story is my own creation.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Chapter Four: Last days of peace  
  
As the group of men and wagons arrived the base of operations, Pietro looked around the site. He could see the waters of the nearby sea and smell the salt that hung in the air. It would have been a nice place to be, if it wasn't for the large number of cannons scattered along the area. The cannons seemed to detract from the beauty. Farther ahead in the distance, Pietro could see what appeared to be atower blocking the horizon. Upon further inspection, the tower was in actuality a large platform with two cone-shaped apparatuses connected to it. He was intrigued by the sight and asked what it was.  
  
"That thing. Oh, it's the secret weapon the Al Bhed are going to use. They say it will be able fire an electrical charge at Sin when it appears," answered a Crusader that had been there the last three days.  
  
"An electrical charge, how can it do that?" Pietro asked the young man.  
  
"I have no idea. I was barely able to get that small bit of information out of the Al Bhed. I can't understand them all that well, really. Their language is totally baffling."  
  
"Daddy, can we get some food, please?" the boy chimed in.  
  
"Sure. Can you tell us where we can get some food?" Pietro inquired.  
  
The young Crusader pointed towards a rather large tent near the back wall of the cliff. As the two entered they were greeted by a wide assortment of faces. The people seemed to have diveded themselves into two groups. One group contained what Pietro thought to be the other Crusaders and a few Chocobo knights. The second crowd of people all wore goggles over their eyes, Pietro knew these to be Al Bhed. The father and son picked up trays and decided to get some bread and a small bit of meat.  
  
The walked towards the first group and proceeded to sit down. They discussed the upcoming battle with their fellow comrades. None of them knew how they were going to win. Some of the fighters thought that they were only going to be used as sacrifices to lure the monstosity known as Sin into the range of the Al Bhed machina weaponry. Pietro hoped that what they said was nothing more than fear. At the moment he was just as afraid as they were, maybe more so since his son was right beside him.  
  
After Pietro and Ryu were one eating, they left the tent and walked around a bit to use the muscles that had cramped up on their trek. There was a slight breeze blowing in from the sea and it felt nice against the skin. As they were walking, they came across a small group of Al Bhed near the tower-like weapon.  
  
"E ruba dryd dra amaldneym lyhhuh femm rumt ab du dra bufan. Ed'c hajan paah dacdat," said one Al Bhed. (I hope that the electrical cannon will hold up to the power. It's never been tested.)  
  
"Tuh'd funno, ed cruymt rumt. Fa cruymt funno ypuid dra cibbund difan,druikr," another replied. (Don't worry, it should hold. We should worry about the support tower, though.)  
  
"Fro?" asked a third. (Why?)  
  
"Ed'c y meddma hynnuf yd dra dub, ed sekrd chyb," came the reply. (It's a little narrow at the top, it might snap.)  
  
Pietro just stared at the strange group and decided to walk away. As he was doing so, he began to scratch his head and wondered what exactly the Al Bhed were talking about. The father and son continued to walk and take in the surrounding area until the last of the sun's light had faded. Soon they would need to find a place to rest for the night. They asked where the area to sleep was and were guided to an set of tents about one-hundred feet away from the edge of the cliff. They entered one of the central tents and began to drift off to sleep.  
  
The next morning they awoke to the warking sounds of Chocobos. By the variety of different warks, Pietro believed that the rest of knights had arrived. As the two new recruits left the tent, they were atonished to see roughly one-hundred and fifty chocobo gathered at the base. The thought of the size of the operation struck Pietro's mind. The new knights, along with the few that were already here, the Al Bhed with their giant conical weapon, and the countless Crusaders from around Spira, this mission to defeat Sin was going to be huge. Pietro was glad that he did not have to coordinate the movements of the troops.  
  
The father and son left the barracks area and went toward the mess tent to get some breakfast. They were met along the way by other Crusaders and told that practice was going to take place in an hour. When they entered the mess, they noticed that it was more crowded than normal, so they took some toast and bacon and left to eat elsewhere.  
  
At the practice session, they were given a quick lesson on how to fight and defend with their weapons. They learned that to get more power into their swings, they should turn their waists while attacking. They also learned how to block attacks efficiently. After the session was over, they were told to practice with each other and not to injure their partners by accident.  
  
Pietro took Ryu onto the beach and began to hold a mock fight with him. The clang of their swords hitting each other could be heard by the other men in the area. They fought each other until they grew hungry about four hours later. They proceeded up the path to the mess tent and entered. They noticed that the place wasn't as full as earlier and sat down with their lunch. Soon they were joined by their fellow Crusaders. The men who had just arrived were talking their morning work. "Why do we need to put up that stupid tent? I mean it doesn't even have a roof." I don't know. I just do as I'm told. I'm not going to question the reason behind it."  
  
"You put up a tent, why?" asked Pietro.  
  
"Supposedly, it going to be used as the center of operations for the mission. They also say it's there for protection purposes. Yet, I don't see how a thin layer of fabric going to protect anything," one man said.  
  
After Pietro and his son were done eating, they left the tent and began to practice some more. "Come on! Swing like a man! Do you want to avenge your sister or don't you?" Pietro asked his son.  
  
"I'm gonna beat Sin! I'm gonna beat it! I'm gonna beat it no matter what!" Ryu answered back shouting each sentence at his father.  
  
"Okay, come on now! Pretend I'm a fiend!" Pietro told Ryu.  
  
"Die, die, die!" the son exclaimed. With each word he said, his sword struck his father's.  
  
Soon it was time for dinner and they walked towards the tent discussing their practice. "You're pretty good there, son. You're getting better with each and every practice."  
  
"Thanks dad. You're doing well yourself. I just hope we won't have to be in the front lines when the time comes," his son said.  
  
"I agree with you there, son. I don't believe they'll do that though. We are new recruits and just beginning to learn how to use these weapons. We'll probably assigned to guard the command center in case its attacked," Peitro said hopefully.  
  
After dinner, the two new Crusaders went back to the barracks and entered their tent. As they lied down to fall asleep, Pietro couldn't believe that tomorrow was the day the operation was to commence. He wished nothing would go wrong.  
  
To be continued…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: Almost done with this story, there should only be one more chapter left. Hope you've enjoyed it so far. I'd like to apologize for the dialogue for the Al Bhed in the middle. It sucks, but what am I going to do. I would also like to say that dialogue between Pietro and his son while they were practicing is actual text from the game, just thought I'd let you know.  
  
Please review, it'll help see how well I'm doing. ( 


	5. The final moments before...

The Story of a Crusader  
  
By tabris17  
  
Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns the characters and the setting depicted in the following story. As far as I know, the ideas express in it are totally mine.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter Five: The final moments before…  
  
As the morning light shone through the flap of the tent, Pietro realized that he had not gotten much sleep the previous night. He had been too worried to close his eyes. The day had finally arrived, the Crusaders were going to battle Sin and his spawn. He was frightened by the thought. He looked over at his son and sighed. "What does the future have in store for you?" he pondered. "Will you see the sun go down to rest this day?" He wondered what had possessed him to venture down this path. Was he truly seeking revenge for the loss of his wife and daughter or was he looking for an end to the torture? He prayed for an answer, yet one wouldn't come. He soon found that his son, Ryu, had awokened.  
  
"Hey dad. You don't look well, how are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm fine, son. I'm just a little worried at the moment. Today's the big day, eh?" he asked the young boy. "Sin's going down, right?"  
  
"Yep. With this many people, we can't lose," came the reply.  
  
"Let's go get some food, we'll need the energy later." The two exited their tent and walked toward the mess tent. "I hope you're right, son. I really do," Pietro thought.  
  
*  
  
After they had eaten, they followed their comrades to the main tent to receive orders. Most of the older men and women were told that they would be placed on the front lines, Pietro was one of them. The majority of the fighters cheered, they were excited that they would the first to strike a blow at the monstosity called Sin. Pietro wasn't so thrilled, he was going to be away from his son.  
  
Ryu and the other children were told that they would near the base helping relay messages and protect the command center. They were given a rather important job as the commanders said. They were told that the attack was relying heavily on their ability to run quickly and report the plans to the individual squad leaders. The leaders put their lives in their hands. Of course they wouldn't be alone. Some of the older Crusaders were place in the charge of the young boys and girls. The head of this unit was Gatta, and he didn't enjoy it much either.  
  
After all the orders were given out, the soldiers were told that the operation would begin within two hours time. A few last minute things needed to be completed, and the men were sent to relax until that time.  
  
Pietro left with Ryu and sat at the edge of the cliff. "Son, I want you to be careful. Do as Gatta tells you too, he'll know what to do."  
  
"Okay. You be careful, too, I don't want to lose you like I did mom and Sandra." Ryu looked over at his father and smiled. "Good luck."  
  
"Thanks, why don't go over and wait with the other children. I'm going down to the beach and waith there for this fight to start." The boy got up and started to walk away. "I love you, son," he said as soon as he was out of listening distance.  
  
*  
  
Pietro walked down towards the front line and saw all the men and women who had gathered. He noticed one man he knew amongst them, Luzzu. He went over to the tall man and asked, "When is going to begin?"  
  
"Oh Pietro, to answer your question, soon. We have to wait for Sin to arrive. You may have noticed that were fiends in your convoy, those were actually Sinspawn. We figured that if gathered enough together in one place, Sin would come to get them back. The other Crusaders up there should have just placed the last of them in a cage. With all luck, the monster should be here shortly. Are you ready?" Luzzu inquired.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," came the older man reply.  
  
"Good."  
  
*  
  
"Hi, Gatta. How are you?" Ryu asked his superior.  
  
"I'm doing just great," Gatta replied sarcastically. "Why don't you go over with the other children, if I need you I'll call." Ryu walked to joined the others while Gatta said under his breath, "I should be on the front lines, not here with the brats."  
  
*  
  
"I see something out in the water, I think its Sin!" somebody shouted on the beach.  
  
A large gray-skinned creature, that vaguely resembled a fish, broke the surface of the sea. As it rose from its watery home, the soldiers in the sandy front became excited. It was about to begin, the destruction of Sin at last had come. And the shouts gopt even louder as the first shots from the cannons were fired at the beast.  
  
To be continued…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: It's getting there, I'm building up for an exciting conclusion (at least I hope so). The next chapter should be the last and it's going to contain some mindless violence (yes, finally). Please let me know what you think so far. Thanks. ^_^ 


	6. Hell breaks loose

The Story of a Crusader  
  
By tabris17  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X in a legal sense, Squaresoft does. I'm just borrowing the setting and characters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter Six: Hell breaks loose  
  
Pietro was deafened by the cannons as they were fired towards the huge monster known as Sin. The sound of the blasts echoed throughout the small alcove that the foot soldiers were located. The men and women looked on as the shots hit Sin all across its monstrous form. They noticed that pieces of the beast were falling towards the cold waters of the sea he just recently emerged from and they thought the plan was working.  
  
They were wrong. They were soon to realized the horrifying truth. The "pieces" were, in actuality, sinscales and they were moving quickly toward the front line of troops. The Chocobo knights also noticed the smaller monsters swimming at their comrades and decided to charge and join the battle.  
  
Sin had learned from the first barrage of cannon shots and put up a protective barrier around its body. The rest of the fusillades were deflected into the sea. The primitive weaponry was rendered useless against the harbinger of death as he began to charge up for an upcoming attack of its own. Many Crusaders and knights neglected this fact and continued on to battle the tiny sinspawn.  
  
*  
  
Ryu watched in horror as the sinspawn that was used to lure Sin attacked the headquarters. He looked for his commander, Gatta, but could not find him anywhere in the vicinity. He scared to death, he didn't know what to do. Where could he go? He looked up and saw the conical tower up near the apex of the cliff and ran towards it, hoping that it would be a bastion of safety.  
  
*  
  
Pietro watched in horror as his comrades lost themselves in their rage. They were determined to kill the scales no matter the cost, because that is what they were ordered to do. The fighters slashed at the monsters and killed many of them. A few men were beginning to gut the creatures to make sure that would not rise to attack them from behind. The soldiers continued on towards where the water met the sand, fighting and stabbing the fiends as they went.  
  
Pietro wasn't stupid, he knew that the fighting was pointless. The scales kept coming without stopping, it was like Sin had an infinite supply of them. He had also noticed that an aurora of energy was forming near the head of Sin, and he didn't like it at all. He decided to run and report this to his superiors at the base.  
  
As he ran up the slope, he noticed a dark-skinned young man heading towards the front line. He hoped that it was a messenger with orders to retreat and regroup. As the man drew nearer, he finally realized who it was, it was Gatta. "What are doing here? You should be up there guarding the command center," he shouted at the descending figure.  
  
"Why? I came here to fight and help to defeat Sin, not babysit some brats. I need to be on the line, and you won't stop me." Both men stopped as they near each other, there was tension in the air. Both soldiers stared at the other and shot daggers with their eyes.  
  
Pietro broke the silence when he said, "You bastard, my son is up there and you abandoned him. Why don't you go down there and die, because that's what's going to happen. This operation was doomed from the start. As for me, I'm going to headquarters to protect my son." Pietro quickly ran away after his diatrabe was finished.  
  
Gatta just stared at the retreating man and swore, "You coward."  
  
*  
  
Ryu was almost to the tower when he saw Sin fire and beam-like energy burst at the beach. He was petrified. He knew that anyone there was dead. Nothing would be able to survive. He began to cry as he realized that his father was stationed there. He wept as he started running to the weapon again.  
  
*  
  
When Pietro reached the command tent, he saw a frightening sight. The fabric of the tent was slashed and torn all around, the poles that were used to hold it were snapped and uprooted from the ground, and in the center stood a giant monstrosity with two claws. As he looked in disbelief, he noticed that three people were fighting the monster. One of the people reminded him of the summoner who had performed the sending at Kilika. The others he hadn't seen before, one was dressed in a maester's robes and the other man wore a red longcoat. They were winning in their desperate fight to destroy the huge creature, and Pietro knew it was a matter of time before it was over.  
  
He began to look for son among the prone bodies, yet none of them were his son. He was worried. He hadn't seen him on the path from the beach to headquarters and they were few other places to hide. He then looked up and saw that the Al Bhed machina he had seen on his first day here was ready to fire. "No," he gasped under his breath.  
  
*  
  
The energy weapon of the Al Bhed was charging up as Ryu approached. He knew he would be safe here, nothing would be able to prevent this attack from killing Sin. He ran closer to the base of the tower and looked up in utter amazement as the cannon unleashed its electrical charge at the beast.  
  
*  
  
The beam of crackling energy erupted from the twin cones at the top of the tower and proceeded to hit the energy shield Sin had raised. The barrier held for a few seconds, but then began to recede little by little. The attack seemed to be working. It would only be a couple more seconds until the energy ripped through the giant fiend. Pietro hoped that the weapon would actually win its duel with Sin.  
  
Unexpectedly, the energy surrounding Sin started to expand, as if the attack fueled the barrier itself. The Al Bhed decided to add more power to their assault and fired away. In turn, Sin absorbed the extra energy and fired another beam-like burst towards the tower. The shot cut through the support structure and caused to explode.  
  
Pietro watched in horror as the top of the weapon began to fall to the ground below. He had a feeling that he had just lost the last of his family and he started to cry once more.  
  
*  
  
All in all, the battle was lost. Not many members of the gathered forces had survived the fight. Pietro had searched the area where the Al Bhed weapon had stood and discovered the body of his son under a wooden plank. His eyes were closed and they would never open again. He took this knowledge with him to the beach where sat down and stared at the horizon. Along the way, he had seen many men that lay dormant, one among these was Gatta. He had told the impetuous man that he would die, and he regretted doing so. He felt sorry. Many people were going to mourn when the news broke. He just sat and watched as the summoner he saw fight in the command center danced and sent the lost souls onto the farplane.  
  
He soon decided, as he witnessed his third sending, that he would leave on a journey to seek a meaning for his life. He did not how long he would wander, but he knew that it had to be done. He got up from the blood soaked sand and began to prepare for his travels ahead.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: Yeah, this story is finally complete. I hope you enjoyed it. I need to say that Pietro's travels are far from complete, I'll probably be writing another two arcs (goodie, a trilogy). I'm going to need time to plan it out, though. If you have any suggestions, please contact me. If I like them, I most likely will use them (don't worry, I give you credit). You have been warned! (Laughs maniacally)  
  
I killed Gatta, due to the fact that I hated him. I thought he was an idiot, he had the tendency to say some pretty stupid things. He's better off dead.  
  
I actually had to sit through the battle sequence a few times to get enough notes to write a halfway decent ending. Pretty pathetic, huh?  
  
Please review, and speak your mind. If you liked Gatta, you can bash me, it's fine with me. Until next time, goodbye. 


End file.
